


Llama Llama Duck

by DementedPixie, drwhogirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brothers are the worst but also the best, Caring Dean Winchester, Caring Sam Winchester, De-Aged Castiel (Supernatural), Drama Llama, Emotionally Hurt Castiel, Episode: s03e11 Mystery Spot, Gabriel Being Gabriel, Gen, Human Castiel, I know its been done before but not by me, Super Llama, Sweet Castiel, big fat mama llama, watch the llama song on You Tube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 10:30:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11378355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DementedPixie/pseuds/DementedPixie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/pseuds/drwhogirl





	Llama Llama Duck

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drwhogirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/gifts).



Llama Llama Duck

By Demented Pixie

Thank you Meg, for your help, expertise and dream sequence.

 

Sam and Dean Winchester had both had years of practice when it came to falling asleep in random places - Hotels, Motels, abandoned houses, the Impala... When they slept, they slept soundly, making the most of any down time in order to rest and recharge those oh so essential batteries. So for a while, Dean tried to block out the sounds that were gradually penetrating his dreams this night. It is true, though, that once a person starts concentrating on something it’s really hard to stop.

He frowned, eyes still glued shut, and listened intently. He could hear Sam breathing, deep and even and very definitely sparko, in the bed across from his own. And there was the other sound again, the one that had pulled him from his slumber. Dean reached out in his mind, trying to focus on what it was. Was it a dog whimpering? Or an unhappy child, sniffling... somewhere in the distance? Actually, not as far away as he first thought. His eyes sprang open and he fumbled for the bedside light. The room was now bathed in a soft glow and Dean rubbed his eyes, trying to focus.

“What the...?”

Dean sat up, fast, causing the little figure to step away from him in fear and snuffle even more. Slowing his movements Dean threw off the blankets and swung himself sideways, remaining seated on the bed but now facing the small child who was standing before him.

Stuck for words, Dean just stared as if staring at a ghost.

“Are... are you, real?” he eventually stammered.

The boy’s bottom lip wobbled as tears started to pool in his eyes.

“Sam,” hissed Dean across at his comatose brother. When there was no response he raised his voice to ‘wake up now, Sammy’ proportions. “Sammy!”

“Nnnn, what... Dean...what?” Grumbling, Sam slowly opened his eyes and had an immediate and similar reaction to that of his older brother. He sat up, fast, and stared at the little figure that stood trembling between them. “Cass?”

“Who?” replied Dean, confusion on his face. “What do you mean, ‘Cass’?”

“Dean, honestly,” said Sam, gently, as he pushed back his blankets and got out of bed to crouch down in front of the little boy. “Can’t you see? It’s Castiel.”

“Castiel,” agreed the boy in a whisper, nodding at Sam, shyly.

As Dean looked closer all the pieces of the jigsaw finally slid into place. Standing in their motel room in between the two beds was a perfect representation of Castiel if he had come back to life as a human child. Dark brown, almost black, hair, sticking up in a random fashion that framed a soulful face, the piercing blue eyes currently clouded with tears. To complete the picture he was wearing black trousers, a blue jumper, and a beige knee-length coat.

“Cass,” said Sam, softly, “Do you know who we are?”

“Dean,” said the boy, quietly, “And Sam.”

“Okay, well that’s good, at least. So you know we’re not going to hurt you. Come on, sit up here on the bed so we can talk to you. You’re safe here, Cass.”

Castiel chewed his lower lip for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do, then wiped a hand across his eyes before clambering up onto Sam’s bed to sit on it, his legs and feet dangling over the side.

Sam joined him to sit on the bed beside him and the three looked each other over, curiosity on all their faces.

“Cass,” asked Sam, “Do you know what happened to bring you here like this?”

Castiel shook his head so Sam tried again.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Castiel gazed at his knees in contemplation. “There was a fight,” he said.

“Okay, that’s good that you remember. Who was fighting?”

“Me and Gabriel.”

“Gabriel,” said Dean, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Why am I not surprised.”

“Dean,” warned Sam.

“What? The guy’s a total douche. How many times did he kill me, exactly?”

“Too many, I know. But you’re scaring Cass.” Sam indicated at the little boy whose face once again had the appearance of threatening tears.

Dean leaned forward with his elbows on his knees so that he was level with Castiel. “Am I? Am I really scaring you Cass? Because if you’re the Castiel I know, then you’re not scared of anything, certainly not of me.”

Castiel’s bottom lip trembled once more as tears started to pour down his face. “I... I don’t know,” he stammered. “I don’t understand.”

“Castiel, it’s alright,” said Sam, smiling down at him encouragingly. “Hey, do you want a hug?”

Sam lifted the arm that was nearest the boy and Castiel immediately leaped towards him, throwing his arms around the bigger mans waist, hiding his head against Sam’s chest and crying into Sam’s T-shirt.

“Jesus, Sam,” complained Dean.

Sam held out his other hand as a sign to stop Dean from talking. “Dean, you’re not helping. I can handle one five year old but not two, so just man up! If Gabriel did this to Cass then we will find a way to fix it, but in the meantime you’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that Cass is not as he was. Just... be patient. He’s a little kid!”

“He’s an angel who’s been around for thousands of years!” argued Dean.

Sam stroked Castiel’s back, encouraging him to calm down, and lowered his voice to almost a whisper as he replied. “He’s an angel who’s evidently been put under a stupid spell by his stupid older brother, and he’s come to us for help. So get with it. In fact you can do more than get with it, you can make Cass some hot chocolate. I bought milk earlier, there might even be some marshmallows in our supplies.”

“Dammit, Sammy, you can be so bossy...” But Dean got up and did as he was asked. Twenty minutes later Castiel’s tears had dried up, he had finished his hot chocolate (with second helpings of marshmallows), had allowed Sam to remove his shoes and trenchcoat, and was snuggled in Sam’s bed with the covers pulled up to his chin.

“It’s still a couple of hours till morning, try and get some sleep, Cass,” said Sam.

As Sam moved to turn off the bedside light Castiel gave a panicked gasp.

“You want the light left on?” asked Sam.

“Please,” replied the angel, blue eyes wide like saucers. “Don’t like the dark.”

“It’s okay, the light stays on. And we’ll be close by if you need us.”

“And where are you sleeping?” asked Dean, as he cleared away the chocolate stained mugs.

“I’m fine over here,” replied Sam, as he opened his laptop and took a seat at the small table by the window. “I need to work on how we can fix things.”

Dean joined him at the table, sitting back in the chair and gazing across the room at the now sleeping angel.

“I don’t know how to speak to him,” he admitted, quietly.

“What?” replied Sam, tapping on the keys.

“Castiel. I can’t get it straight in my head.”

“You’ve been good with kids before,” said Sam. “Remember Lucas?”

“Sure. Lucas was a great kid. But Castiel doesn’t know us because he’s some kid we rescued. He knows us because he’s the angel who rescued me from Hell. He’s got powers we couldn’t even dream of, Sammy, he has wings, for Christ’s sake! I don’t get why he can’t still be Castiel even if he’s in a different body.”

“Vessel.”

“Whatever.”

“And I don’t believe he is in a different vessel,” replied Sam. “It’s his same face, same eyes. Just... younger. So it makes sense that what’s going on inside his head is younger too. He sees the world as a 5 year old would, Dean, so that’s how we have to treat him. And if that means looking after him, after all he’s done for us, for you, then that can’t be so hard – can it?”

“You’re right, Sammy. He deserves better, I get it now.”

Sam smiled at his brother. “Go back to bed and get some sleep, Dean. I’ll watch over him.”

******

  _"What were you thinking?" Castiel growled as he appeared in his brother's living room._

_Gabriel looked up from the book he was reading, sprawled out in his armchair._

_"About what?" he asked around the piece of chocolate in his mouth._

_He just about managed to bite back a sarcastic reply, sensing that it wasn't really the time or place. Instead of a response, Castiel slammed a book down on the coffee table in front of his brother. Mystery Spot by Carver Edlund._

_"I'm pretty sure the book is quite clear about what I was thinking."_

_“You had no right! No right to do that to Dean! To Sam!"_

_"Don't you dare tell me what rights I do and don't have! You can't just barge in here and tell me what to do!"_

_Book lying on the floor, forgotten, Gabriel stood in front of his brother. If Castiel hadn't been so righteously angry he might have been scared of the look on his brother's face. The fury of an archangel._

_"Neither of them deserved that!"_

_"You know what else nobody deserves? The bloody apocalypse!"_

_"It was immature and childish!"_

_"No, this is immature and childish."_

_With a snap of fingers, the seraph was gone._

For the second time in a matter of hours Dean was awoken by an unfamiliar sound, but this time he was awake, alert and out of his own bed and across to the other in a matter of seconds.

Before Sam could even get up out of his chair Dean had the little angel in his arms and was rocking him slowly while muttering soothing words. “Cass, hey, it’s okay, it was just a dream.”

Castiel struggled to get the words out through his tears but managed a hiccup followed by “Gabe”.

“What about him?” asked Dean, rubbing reassuring light circles on the boys back. “What happened, Cass?”

“Dean… I…”

“Okay, calm down. Sam, help us out here?”

Walking towards them but unwilling to make Castiel feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed Sam decided to sit on the floor between the two beds.

“Hey, Cass,” he said, looking up at him with a smile. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yes… it was Gabe, he was… he told me he hurt Dean.”

“How?”

“He said… he said… he was trying to make you sad, because Dean was going to die.”

“God dammit, Sam,” said Dean, dismayed.

“Well that explains it,” agreed Sam. “Cass, is that why you had a fight?”

Castiel nodded, still inconsolable. “He made you sad, and he hurt Dean. I didn’t know what he did. I’m s…sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” said Dean.

“Wasn’t I meant to look after you?”

“You did, Cass. Don’t you remember rescuing me from Hell? I know things are confusing right now, but you didn’t do anything wrong. You saved me, Cass.”

Castiel seemed to be about to answer when his stomach made an audible noise which brought a smile to Dean’s face.

“You hungry, buddy?”

Cass nodded, looking downcast. “And I need the bathroom.”

“Come on,” said Dean. “Let’s get you up.”

Making his way back over to the laptop, Sam watched with some amusement as his older brother talked the little angel through washing and getting ready for the day. Dean ran a warm, not too deep, bath and squirted in shower gel to make bubbles, then helped Castiel to get undressed and into the tub. Then he grabbed the beaker they used to stand their toothbrushes in and filled it with bath water.

“Okay, close your eyes, buddy. I’m gonna wash your hair and I don’t want to get suds in your eyes.”

Obediently, Castiel closed his eyes, and sat very still as Dean tipped the water over his head.

“This okay?” checked Dean, as he rubbed some of Sam’s apple scented shampoo into Castiel’s hair.

“Smells good,” said Castiel, still with his eyes shut.

“Awesome. Hold still and I’ll rinse it off.”

Happy with how clean the angel now was Dean let the water go, grabbed a large towel and helped Castiel stand up, before wrapping the towel around him and lifting him out of the tub.

“Sorry we don’t have any spare clothes for you, kid, but I’m hoping you won’t be needing these for much longer.” Dean dried Castiel off and helped him to get dressed, then set about combing his hair for him. “How’s it going, Sam?”

“We need Gabriel,” he replied, squinting at the laptop screen.

“You got a way of getting him here?” asked Dean.

“I think so, yeah. I found a summoning ritual, I just need to get things ready.”

Taking Castiel’s hand, Dean led him across to the table and sat him on the chair opposite Sam, then grabbed his keys and started to put his jacket on.

“Where are you going?” asked Sam.

“If you’re going to turn him back into an angel, Cass deserves a proper breakfast. Want me to bring you something?”

“Sure, thanks. A fruit smoothie and a short stack.”

Castiel gazed up at Dean, his expression going from relaxed and happy to worried and fretful in a matter of seconds.

“What’s wrong, Cass?” asked Sam.

“Don’t want Dean to go.”

Dean smiled at him. “Hell,” he said, “it’s a good job this isn’t going to last long. You look at me like that and you get your own way too easily. Come on, let’s go get some breakfast and leave Sam to sort out the ritual.”

“I can come?” asked Castiel, opening his eyes wide and jumping down from the chair.

“Sure.”

“Just one thing,” said Sam, standing up to help Castiel put his coat back on. “You stay with Dean, hold his hand and do what he tells you. Got that?”

“Yes, Sam. I got that.” The little angel looked so serious that he made both the brothers smile at him again.

******

Sam appreciated the peace and quiet as he carefully assembled all he needed for the ritual but as time went on he started to worry about how long it took to buy some breakfast.

An hour had passed before Dean and Castiel returned.

“At last,” Sam muttered, before being nearly bowled over as Castiel ran to him and flung his arms around his knees. “Hey, Cass! I missed you too! Everything okay?”

This last question was directed to his brother who had a relaxed smile on his face as he started to unpack their breakfast onto the table.

“Just awesome,” replied Dean, handing Sam a coffee. “We got sausage, pancakes, smoothie for you and Cass…”

“And maple syrup,” Castiel joined in. “It tastes good, Sam. Have you tried it?”

“Yes, Cass, I’ve had it before. And who is this?”

Sam gestured to a bundle of furry items that Castiel had clutched in one arm.

“Dean bought them for me. This is a llama, and this is another little llama, and this is a duck.”

“You needed two llamas?”

“Yes. If I hadn’t got them both, the other would have been left alone,” explained Castiel.

“Come on, eat while it’s hot,” said Dean, lifting Castiel up onto the chair.

The three ate companionably for the next few minutes, sharing their food and generally enjoying Castiel’s first experience of a proper breakfast. Llama, Little Llama and Duck lined up on the windowsill to watch.

Eventually though, the moment came when the meal was finished, and Dean looked at the sigils drawn on the floor, candles, and metal bowl full of ingredients.

“You’re all set?” he asked.

“I think so. There’s only one thing left to add. I couldn’t find it, but weirdly enough I think the two of you might just have found the perfect substitute.”

Sam picked up the bottle of maple syrup and walked to the centre of the sigils, squeezing some into the bowl.

Then he picked up his notes and started to recite.

“Zod ee reh doh noh koh ah beh rah ma geh nah zod peh sah geh.”

As he read he nodded to Dean who lit his lighter then, after making sure Castiel was standing behind him and safely out of the way, he lit the ring of holy oil that Sam had spread around the sigils.

“Really? Holy fire? Sammy, you only had to call and I’d have come.”

Gabriel stood in the centre of the circle of flames, one hand on his hip and a wry smile on his face.

Sam stared at him – even though he was expecting it he was a little taken aback to see the Archangel actually there in the room with them.

“Gabriel,” he said, gazing into soulful brown eyes that hid so much.

“That’s my name, Samalam, don’t wear it out.” Gabriel looked around the room. “Ah, Dean, how lovely to see you again. You’re looking so well, so… healthy.”

“Bite me,” snarled Dean. Aware that Castiel was peeking out from behind his legs he tried to gently push him back out of sight.

“And is that my cutesy wutesy little brother? Hah! I see you’ve been playing Mummies and Daddies. Wish I knew which was which, but then as you are Samantha that probably makes Dean-o the Daddy.”

“Gabriel. Stop.” Sam finally found his voice. “Please.”

“Please, Gabriel. Stop, Gabriel. You only ever talk to me when you want something, and its usually something I don’t want to give. What happened to us just talking? What happened to trust?”

“Maybe we lost that when you spent months killing my brother on a daily basis,” replied Sam, trying to keep his cool.

“Surely you’re not still mad at me for that? I gave him back, didn’t I? And my little brother over there saved him too. Hey, is that maple syrup?”

“Gabriel…”

“Sorry, Sammich, did you want me to stay on topic? Then I suggest you douse these flames so we can talk properly. I promise not to fly away.”

“Sam…” came Dean’s warning voice.

“It’s okay, Dean,” reassured Sam. “I got this.” Using a mixture of water from a jug and his own feet to stamp out the fire, Sam quickly reduced the circle to an ember, finally allowing Gabriel to move.

Sitting on Sam’s bed, the archangel took on an expression that could only be described as wanton as he patted the mattress.

“Come sit beside me, Sammy-kins.”

With a deep sigh, Sam complied, sitting down on the bed a couple of feet away from Gabriel - who immediately moved up so there was no space between them at all.

It was the hand on his thigh that finally got Sam talking. “Gabriel! Look, we need to talk about Castiel.”

Gabriel pouted his lips and rolled his eyes. “Yes, okay, what about him?”

“You turned him into a little boy.”

“He deserved it!”

“How, exactly?”

“He called me childish, so I decided to show him what being childish really meant.”

“And that’s it?

“That’s it.”

“You know he was just standing up for Dean?”

“I know.”

“And that made no difference?”

“No.”

“Because?”

“He deserved it.”

“Gabe…”

“Sam…”

Sam lifted Gabriel’s hand from his knee and held it, turning slightly so that the two of them could look deep into each other’s eyes. Sam had worked out long ago that Gabriel responded well to eye to eye contact – it had worked before, it had to work again.

“Look. Gabriel. I know things have been tough for you, but Castiel is your brother. He’s your family. And more than that, he’s the one member of your family who has never caused you a single problem. He’d do anything for you if you asked him, and you know it. You brought me my brother back once, when I begged you to. It’s time for you to do the same for yours.”

“Ask me nicely.” Gabriel grinned a wicked grin and winked one eye.

“I just did.”

“Nicer than that.”

“Right! Gabriel, will you please restore Castiel to his former self. For me, pretty please with a cherry on top.”

“Maraschino?”

“Gabe!!”

“Okay, okay! I get it.” Gabriel got to his feet before pulling Sam up with him, looking up at the taller man for a moment. “You are such a moose…”

Gabriel then walked across the room towards Dean and Castiel but his movements were a little too fast for Dean to be entirely comfortable and all of a sudden a knife was in the hunter’s hand and he was standing protectively in front of the little angel.

Gabriel raised his hands and smiled. “Hey, Dean-o, I come in peace.”

“I don’t trust you as much as my brother does,” growled Dean.

“I’m not going to hurt Castiel, I’m going to restore him.” The archangel held out his hand. “Pinky promise?”

“I’m not touching your pinky under any circumstances,” replied Dean.

Sam, ever the peace maker, stepped between them. “Guys, it’s okay. Gabriel isn’t going to hurt Castiel and Dean, you can put the knife down.”

Castiel peeked through the gap in Dean’s somewhat bandy legs. Spotting this, and realising the expression on his little brother’s face was one of open fear, Gabriel sat on the floor and crossed his legs.

“Cassie?” he said, his voice taking on a soft quality that neither of the Winchesters had heard before. “I promise I won’t hurt you. You can come out now.”

Castiel slowly moved around Dean’s legs but reached up to squeeze Dean’s hand, evidently unwilling to move any further.

“Okay,” said Gabriel, “I can see this is on me. Cassie, I’m sorry we fought, and I’m sorry I turned you into a little kid.”

Castiel found his voice, if a small one. “Are you sorry for what you did to Sam and Dean?”

“Yes I am.” Dean made a scoffing sound in the background. “I really am!! I was trying to teach Sam what it would be like without his brother. I didn’t realise how much they genuinely mean to each other, how they can’t really exist without the other being in their life. I understand it now, and I’m sorry for what I did. Will you come sit with me, please?”

Castiel looked up at Dean for reassurance who smiled down at the little angel. “It’s okay, Cass. Go sit with your brother.”

Castiel let go of Dean’s hand, grabbed Llama, Little Llama and Duck from the windowsill, then walked across to where Gabriel was sitting. With a nod of encouragement Castiel climbed onto his brother’s lap and was quickly enveloped in a warm embrace.

“I’m sorry, Gabe,” whispered Castiel.

“So am I, Cassie.”

Sam and Dean realised, as they watched, that they hadn’t seen how Castiel had been turned into his 5 year old self, and that meant they had no idea how the spell was going to be reversed. Gabriel was the king of the one finger-click fix, but apparently not this time.

A swirl of glitter encircled the two figures in a circle of spinning air like a miniature whirlwind, rising around them until they became obscured from view. At the height of the tornado it became impossible to see, and Sam and Dean took shelter in the corner of the room, hiding their faces from the glitter filled cyclone. As quickly as it appeared it started to fade, the unnatural wind dropped and there, in the centre of the room, stood Gabriel and a full sized Castiel, still hugging his brother and with his three toy animals clutched to his chest.

As peace fell on the room, Castiel’s natural awkwardness returned and he took a step away from Gabriel and his hug.

“Better?” asked Gabriel.

“Better,” agreed Castiel, looking slightly embarrassed at the llama llama duck trio in his arms. He coughed, nervously, and turned toward the two Winchesters who were staring at him from across the room. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Cass, it’s okay,” said Sam, moving towards him. “Anything that happened here we’d do again in a heartbeat if we needed to. Don’t worry about it.”

Castiel look at the elder Winchester, obviously needing reassurance from him as well. “Dean?”

“We’ve all gone through crazy shit at some time or another, Cass. You’re our best friend, our brother, and Sam’s right. We’d always do anything we could to help you. Don’t stress over it.”

Lastly, Castiel turned towards his brother. “And you, Gabriel? Are you okay?”

Gabriel smiled the smile of his that lights up the universe, reached out to take the llama, llama and duck from Castiel, then clicked his fingers and vanished.

It appeared that wherever he was going, he needed to take with him something that reminded him of his little brother.

And that was just fine by Castiel.


End file.
